Review of IDB Support to Secondary Education: Improving Access Quality and Institutions, 1995-2012

Date
Oct 2013
This evaluation seeks to determine the extent to which the Bank supported equitable access to secondary education, improvements in secondary education quality, and reforms of education institutions to improve management capacity. In addition, it describes the approaches taken and examines the results obtained. The evaluation found that as the Bank's overall education financing for the Region increases, so does its role in supporting education policy reforms that will affect access, efficiency, and learning outcomes. The Bank has the potential to make significant contributions to improving secondary education outcomes for all students. However, educational disadvantage is deeper and more complex than the disparity in the numbers of schools with libraries, the conditions of the school building, or the availability of computers. More attention needs to be given to what work that is, what strategies have been shown to improve student retention, completion, and achievement. Political dynamics need to be understood and taken into account in loan design, while at the same time recognizing that those dynamics also determine in part the role of the Bank (as discussed in detail in Chapter VI) and the extent to which inputs are used productively. In many LAC countries it is imperative to continue enhancing the management of the educational system at all levels, especially in the areas of results-based management, assessment, and monitoring and evaluation.